Penny's 19th

Penny turned 19. 

(We saw this frog everywhere we went that day. ... Even in the present she opened from Daisy.)

One hardly knows what to make of 19. It still has the "teen" suffix after all. But 18 really feels like the final age when you can call someone a teenager. Still, it isn't until 20 that I feel like they might be considered an adult. But here she is. Existing quite nicely as a 19 year old!

She really wanted to go to Ogden on her birthday. (It's in her blood--the pull of Ogden.) Daisy was here and Goldie even had the day off, so we took her on a small adventure to Ogden. 

We went to Rainbow Gardens. Then walked part of the Ogden River Parkway. Where she quickly shushed Daisy when Daisy looked up whether baby rattlesnakes truly are more dangerous and began reading, "The notion that baby rattlesnakes are more deadly is a common misconcep ,,,"

"No Daisy! Don't say it!" Penny shouted (not wanting to be disabused of her long held belief). 

And because it was Penny's birthday, Daisy thoughtfully "read": "A bite from a baby rattlesnake has an 80% mortality rate. ... Even with antivenom."

Penny was satisfied.

After that we went to Ocean Mart (so many KitKat flavors). Then we picked up Taco Bell and headed to Mike's work. (He met us outside at the 25th street amphitheater.) I didn't get out my camera while we ate, but there the girls are lounging on the stage for a bit after.

On our way out of Ogden we drove past the temple. And lo and behold there was my mother walking across the street to her car. (I suppose it shouldn't be surprising to see her going into or coming out of the temple at any given moment, still, we were delightfully surprised to spot her.)

We swung by Smith and Edwards.

Then rushed home just in time for the kids to be arriving back from school. Daisy made Penny her precious banana cake. And I made her chicken noodle soup (as requested). And we did our usual birthday dinner questions and comments about the birthday girl. Then presents, cake and ice cream. 

Happy birthday Pen.

First Bear Lake Trip of '26

What with the move (and everything related to that) and Mike having spent a good chunk of weeks out of town, we didn't get up to the cabin at all this spring! 

So, I was very happy to be up there over Memorial Day weekend. 

And I took a hundred pictures to prove it.

(It was really a bit chilly for the beach [as evidenced by how few other beach goers you see in the pictures] but even when we take them in the dead of winter--in coats and boots--they end up in the lake, so we just donned swimsuits and went despite slightly chill weather.)

(Summer is the dearest of all. But she does like to make the face in the above photo on occasion. None of us buy it.)

Every now and then I look out at a group of people and am totally caught off guard--completely startled--to realize the whole lot of them are people I made. (With a little help from Mike of course. ;))

There are still plenty of little kid sightings in these pictures but, on the whole, my photos are now composed of a much older crew than they have previously been! (For example, look at this post from another time when I posted a million photos from a Bear Lake trip. For most of our marriage it seems that has been the age of our children.)

It's strange how our perspectives shift though. 

After my fifth child, when it seemed most of my peers were moving out of the baby-having stage, I went through spells of feeling a bit unfairly burdened to still be dealing with diapers, and nap times, and toddler meltdowns while friends were beginning to do things with greater ease and freedom. 

However, now, I feel incredibly lucky to have kids graduating from college and getting married ... and to still have little, tiny people running about! 

What felt like a burden then, now feels like a great gift. 

I thought it multiple times during this Bear Lake trip as I watched Hans and Starling playing with our beach toys or running ahead of me eagerly looking for rocks and other things while we walked around the cabin dirt roads. 

How amazing to have had this stage/phase of life extended for a longer period than most get to experience it.

"The beach is that way."

Daisy tracing Anders' shadow.

More shadow tracing.

Oh these two boys. They really both still seemed like little boys when we moved up here. (Anders, who was still in elementary school, especially did.) Now they are undeniably teenage boys.

Penny, Jesse and Anders were always "the middle kids". Now they have sort merged into the older crew. (Though the younger four, I am certain, no matter how old they get, will always be "the little kids". Just like Shannon, Megan and I remained "the three little girls" in our huge family.)

Anders holding a towel-bundled Starling with one hand.

Between two fingers ... not quite.

Not quite ... again.